Board Report - August 11

Board Reports

Board of Education Approves ‘Strong Readers Act’ Policy

Board members approved a new board policy in line with Oklahoma’s Strong Readers Act (formerly known as the Reading Sufficiency Act), which ensures that every student enrolled in kindergarten, first, second and third grades is assessed for reading proficiency three times each school year.

Under SRA, every student enrolled in kindergarten, first, second, and third grade shall be assessed at the beginning, middle and end of the school year with an approved screening instrument by the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

Union’s policy supports reading instruction, intervention services and professional development to address student reading needs, and that each student and his or her parent or legal guardian, be informed of their student’s reading progress.

By Sept. 1 of each year, Union and other Oklahoma districts will report on their respective websites the expenditures, number of staff and average daily classroom time devoted to implementing the provisions of this policy. They will also report by grade, the number and percentage of all students in kindergarten through third grade who did not meet grade-level targets in reading, the number who were proficient, as well and other information.

Union will evaluate reading skills such as phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. This process will help the district identify students with reading deficiencies, including those showing characteristics of dyslexia. The adoption of a board policy that details the provisions of the Strong Readers Act is required by law.

Board Members Accept Reports on State College Remediation

The Board of Education accepted remediation reports from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. “These reports are delayed a year,” said Dr. Kenneth Moore, executive director of Secondary Education, as the data reflects college-going rates of students who graduated in 2023.

Union’s college-going rate was 48.3 percent for students attending in-state schools from the 1,030 Union High School Class of 2023 graduates. In Fall 2023, 491 Union graduates attended college for the first time, for a total of 502 within the first year of graduating from high school.

By comparison, 46.5 percent is the state average for those who went on to attend in-state colleges and universities during the same period.

According to Dr. Moore, 25 students (5.5%) required remedial courses in English; 94 students (or 20.7%) in Math; and 91 students (20%) in Reading Developmental. One hundred thirty (28.6%) of students took a zero-level course.

Board Approves Purchase of New Boiler for High School

The Board of Education approved the purchase of a new boiler for the High School for $683,192 from Advance Boiler Repair & Service Inc.

This project will provide three new high efficiency condensing boilers at the High School central plant. The boilers serve most of the High School, except for the Union Collegiate Academy wing on the building’s north side. The existing Cleaver-Brooks boilers are original to the building, said Dr. Josh Robinson, director of Operations. “One has failed, and replacement parts are no longer available.”

In other action, the Board renewed programs to allow Union students opportunities to enroll in Career Tech programs and with Tulsa Community College for the EDGE (Earn a Degree, Graduate Early) program which allows students to complete an associate’s college degree while completing high school.

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